California Death Row Inmate Dies After 45 Years

A convicted murderer and inmate on California’s death row, Jerry T. Bunyard, recently passed away at the age of 76. He had spent over four decades awaiting execution for the murder of his pregnant wife.

According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), Bunyard died on July 10 at the California State Prison, Sacramento. His official cause of death will be determined by the Sacramento County Coroner.

At 4:44 p.m., Bunyard was pronounced deceased at an outside medical facility by medical staff,” the CDCR disclosed in a statement.

Bunyard was convicted of first-degree murder for the 1979 killing of his wife, Elaine Bunyard, and her unborn child. Elaine was discovered deceased in their San Joaquin County home on November 1, 1979. The brutal attack involved a massive shotgun blast and led to the immediate death of both Elaine and the fetus due to oxygen deprivation.

Prior investigations revealed Bunyard had enlisted his childhood friend, Erwin Popham, to carry out the murder. Popham, a small-time criminal and drug user, had intermittently lived with the Bunyard family. Bunyard believed his wife had become pregnant by another man, prompting his murder plot.

Court records show Bunyard had initially offered Elaine $50,000 for a divorce, which she declined. Seeking to be with a new girlfriend, Bunyard eventually agreed to pay Popham $1,000 initially, with further payment expected following the insurance payout from Elaine’s life policy.

Popham’s attack took place while Elaine was washing dishes. He struck her with frying pans before moving her to the garage where he shot her in the head using Bunyard’s pump shotgun. This gruesome scene forced Popham to abandon the suicide staging attempt and instead feign a robbery.

He then informed Bunyard at his construction job that “it was done,” as recounted by California Supreme Court evidence. As of now, there are 567 inmates on death row in California. However, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a moratorium on the death penalty in 2019, providing temporary reprieves for those sentenced to death.